Chinese tourists kick and climb cherry blossom trees to take photos

To get the picture-perfect shot of Jiming Temple's beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom only once a year, tourists resorted to rather inappropriate antics.

Some of these tourists have come under fire in Nanjing, China as they kicked and climbed trees in order to get good photographs or selfies with cherry blossom trees there.

A few of these photos were posted on social media and drew in negative criticism online.

One particular photo of a middle-aged woman climbing a tree with high heels attracted strong remarks. "With her heavy body weighing on those thin branches, isn't she worried about falling off," wrote one person, as quoted by South China Morning Post.

Others online commented that instead of just watching, someone from the crowd should have stepped up and stopped her from harming the tree.

Another picture which surfaced online depicted a man kicking a cherry blossom tree so its petals would fall loose and rain down on him.

About 150,000 tourists from all over China visit Jiming Temple, one of Nanjing's oldest Buddhist temples, each day during the cherry blossom season, which lasts from the middle of March to early April.

mldas@sph.com.sg